Your Non-Weak Weekly Update: August 3rd, 2026
AI is Dum, Cleaning is Rad, Read a Book & Start a Swap
So here we are in August 2026 and Substack now lets people know what percentage of the article they are reading is AI-generated.
Here, at Tudor City View, that percentage will always be ZERO percent. Just another quick humble brag slash reminder that nothing on TCV will ever be spawned by AI.
Generative AI is creativity for goofs, Large Language Models are ruining critical thinking skills, and Conversational AI is just plain evil. Does it seem like I have an opinion? I have an opinion.
But anyways, outside of my head and into the real world of our neighborhood, our population seems to have cleared out for the summer. Hell, my partner and I got right into John’s Coffee Shop for breakfast on Sunday morning (actually, it was only a three minute wait). As such is the emptiness of Manhattan in August, there is not too much to report.
Knock on wood, but I am very much looking forward to an easy August.
To encourage the good vibes and leave you with something positive instead of my anti-AI radicalism, yar be a small positive rant. It’s something that I think is really important: Keeping our neighborhood clean.
To me, this starts with how we think about the way we keep our neighborhood clean. Issues with trash being picked up actually is something that either the buildings or the city should be handling. But keeping everything clean CAN come down to us.
If you see something that can be done, do it. Pick it up, throw it in the trash. Today there was a paper plate left on the ground. I picked it up and threw it in the trash. I saw someone peeling a sticker off the railing over 42nd Street. If everyone contributes small acts of cleanliness, the whole neighborhood will shine.
That said, anything major should be reported to 311 or the Tudor City Association. I think they are actively trying to organize and clean up this area. You can reach out to them here!
Just something to think about when you’re walking around and enjoying the summer and our neighborhood. The more we each invest, the more everyone else will invest, too.
CIVICALLYS
The Summer Book Talk series is happening on Tuesday, August 18th. The book is The Women by Kristin Hannah. You have time to read it. The moderator is Garret R. Lynch, M.D. and it takes place in the North Park.
On Saturday, August 8th at 1 p.m. in South Park is a Children’s Gardening Event! It’s free!
On Sunday, August 9th is the final in the series of Supporting Aging in Our Community. The subject is Dementia 101: Stages and Abilities. Shira Felderbaum Kedem, LMSW, MS will be speaking.
TO DO
Tonight’s Bryant Park movie is Bridget Jones’ Diary. The park opens up at 5 p.m., movie at 8 p.m. Is it possible to get thrown out of this event? If ever there was a good movie to try to get thrown out of, it’s this one. Probably yelling “WANKER!” every time Hugh Grant is on screen would do it.
If you want to know what it was like to rock out at a Todd P show in 2007, Parts and Labor & Oneida are playing at TV Eye on Friday, August 7th. Just be prepared for a long subway ride.
All The President’s Men is playing at the United Palace in Washington Heights on Sunday, August 9th at 3 p.m. It’s gonna seem positively quaint by today’s standards of corruption. Hop over to A train and take it 175th. Easy af.
Noname is playing at Sony Hall on Wednesday, August 5th. Her last few records have been amazing. I highly recommend getting to this one.
THE TC MANIFEST (PART DEUX)
A gigantic neighborhood swap. Are you familiar with a swap? I will give credit to my partner because I had no idea what one was until she introduced me.
So a swap is like this: Everyone brings a few nice, working things from their home but they aren’t using anymore. Each person brings up to four things, but no clothes or food or anything broken. Then everyone puts their stuff out on a few tables and anyone can go and take something from anyone else.
Think of it as a functional recycling center for things that work. A Neighborhood Swap.
Maybe we do it at the North Park. Maybe we charge a five dollars admission with all the money going to the Greens. And then everyone takes home something. We did one in my building and that is how I ended up with a soundbar that still gets used daily. Some other dude ended up with an Xbox. He kept asking “wait, so I can just HAVE this??”
The answer was yes. And then, anything that is left over gets donated to a non-profit organization.
Hmmmm. Maybe this would be a good first Tudor City View event. It could be epic. I’ll be the person using an Old Navy bag as a hat.
-TCV
Love the neighborhood swap idea.. now TC needs someone to organize it.. always the sticking point!